The Silver Screen to the Streets
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The year is 1988. Police brutality, abuse of power and unadulterated racism are the driving forces behind the production of one of the most iconic rap albums of all time: N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton.
Featuring songs like the album’s namesake, along with “Gangsta Gangsta” and “F--- Tha Police,” the group members behind Ruthless Records used their First Amendment rights to tell stories fellow residents of south central Los Angeles would consider just another day. For Eazy E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella, Straight Outta Compton was more than just a record — it was a voice.
The artists’ stories were then revived in the recently released biopic, also entitled Straight Outta Compton. The motion picture depicts the stories of a group of black men who grew up in a world riddled with prejudice, discrimination and racism. Through that very upbringing, they channeled every ounce of anger, oppression and passion in their bodies to produce an album that spoke for a generation. Through that, others found their voices. Unlikely allies banded together against the forces that opposed their freedom, so why it is that today — 27 years later — people are still dying for the same reasons?
Rewind to 2012 when 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman. Reflect on September 2013, when officer Randall Kerrick of Charlotte, N.C., fired his weapon 12 times at an unarmed Jonathan Ferrell who had just survived a car accident and was seeking help. Out of those 12 bullets, 10 made contact. Think back to August 2014 when Ferguson, Mo., resident Michael Brown was fatally shot by police officer Darren Wilson: the upheaval that followed was eerily similar to that of the riots depicted in Gary Gray’s film Straight Outta Compton.
While there are aspects of these stories that will always remain unknown to those not involved, it is evident that they all boil down to two timeless discriminators: minority and majority. Viewing Straight Outta Compton is a sobering experience if not for the story itself, but for the parallels that it shares with modern-day society.
We live in a world that is constantly growing and learning from its mistakes. Because of this, minorities should never have to experience feelings of relatability when viewing a film that highlights the oppressions of the past.
I watch a movie like Straight Outta Compton and I initially find myself commenting on things as mundane as the choice of actors or changes in fashion trends. That is privilege. Oppressed members of nearly any community can view a film like Straight Outta Compton and experience situations disturbingly similar to ones depicted in the film as they walk back to their cars from the theater that very night. That is detriment.
Semblances like these should have all of society stop and ask itself if it is really growing. Are efforts for a more equal world, which so many claim to support, really being made?
Granted, the problem here in no way lies solely with the police, with black people or with any classification for that matter. It lies with the corrupt individuals that fall within them. The amount of power and advantage these corrupt individuals are given is what needs to be fixed. There is no group of anything or anyone on this entire planet that is through and through both morally and justly sound. That is why those who are closest need to band together to grow and teach others to grow from the damage that has been done.
The men behind N.W.A. are not exactly role models, but they stand for what they believe in and fight for it ruthlessly. The dividing line between the passionate and the angry is thin but necessary. Straight Outta Compton is a cruel reminder about just how much more passion this angry world needs.
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